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Chapter 15 - Explanations

"I don't remember much from when I was small. I was put into the foster system the moment I was born. I bounced from family to family, I never knew what a home really was. So when they said they would give me one I took it"

His thin fingers brushed through her hair letting it lay across her shoulders, her tiny wings were so white and clean back then. Her big e/c eyes were so innocent.

"Secretly I was sold into human trafficking which I didn't know until recently," She said looking at Aizawa "I had been on Y/n's case for a couple of months now. We hunted down all her background knowledge but only knew she was sold to human traffickers because of some dirty business in the foster system" Aizawa explained.

"From them, I was sold to the fighting rings. At first, I was pinned against other kids. Back then fighting was just luck. But luck became skill when they'd force me to fight against bigger boys for fun. They'd laugh as they beat me"

The disrespectful laughter of men echoed through the arena as teen boys gripped her hair and threw her to the ground. Slicing her arms and gripping her small wings. Her cries and screams would satisfy perverted men in the audience.

"But one day I decided to fight back... He kept cutting into my skin and pulling my wings. So I took his knife and cut him back"

The boy cried out as the small girl drove the knife into his shoulder. "Instead of being punished I was praised, they demanded I do it again... and again. and again. They'd hold men down and let me slice them open because it was far more entertaining to watch a little girl cut into a helpless man" She trailed off, they could see her get distracted in thought as she went back to those moments.

Screams and yells. Shoving and pushing from guards as they spurred her on to do it. "When I was 13 I started fighting people one on one. Every time I won I would be fed. I never found out what happened if I didn't win. I learned how to hurt people, they taught me to kill because if I didn't I'd be dead"

"If I refused to fight it was so much worse. What you saw in that room was something I went through every week. They'd hang me, they electrocute me, they'd slice me open and stitch me shut just so they could cut me again. The scars on my body showed how strong I was, it let fighters know I've killed and let the audience know I've lived."

She traced her fingers over the marks on her arms "I tried giving them the satisfaction of kills. I tried letting them use and hurt me to get out their rage. I let them hurt me. I let them turn me into a monster... I let them" tears began to streak down her face.

"My life revolved around killing because it was the only thing that gave me a positive reward. I wasn't strung open and tortured if I killed one person. I was so scared. I was a fucking kid!" She yelled "I wanted to be a kid! I don't want to be a monster anymore! I want to be home! I want to be happy!" She clutched her chest "I've hurt so many people... I don't deserve to be a hero"

"But you are! you saved us before!" Mina cried standing from her seat. Tears welled in her eyes. "Like you said! You wanted to protect us! You wanted to save us! That's what heroes do" "But heroes don't kill" Mineta glared. The class couldn't speak. 

"I have" Aizawa spoke "I have plenty of times. I've failed to save people and I've killed people. Sometimes a hero has more blood on their hand's then unsaved civilians" He explained. Aizawa threw down the folder of photos letting them spill across the table. Students look at the images in horror. Y/n's words were a lot but seeing those images made everyone realize that their fear was directed at a girl who was just trying to survive.

Y/n looked at the man with teary eyes. "Y/n... we didn't know" Momo stepped forwards "I'm sorry for our silence. We were just taken aback" Iida assured. "You're gonna be a great hero Y/n!" "No, I'm not! I don't deserve to be a hero!" She yelled looking away.

"Y/n... you might not be a hero now but you will be! I won't give up on you!" Mina exclaimed stepping forward and hugging the girl. "After all of this, you think we're just gonna abandon you!? Y/n you defended us! You fought for us! You hurt yourself to make sure we were ok! A villain wouldn't do that!" Mina hugged her friend tighter.

"You were never given the opportunity to have a home... Now you do. You can't run away from home again. Plus who will protect us?" Mina laughed. "Please stay with us" Mina dug her nose into the crook of her friend's neck. 

"Home..." Y/n mumbled letting tears roll down her face. Slowly reaching up she placed shaking hands on Mina's back hugging her. Looking across at the kind eyes of her classmates Y/n finally felt safe.

She felt safe. She felt loved... She felt at home.

A gasp ripped through her as her knees suddenly gave out. Mina let the girl sink into her as they both sobbed into each other on the floor. Classmates wiped tears seeing their broken friend finally let everything out.

Mina stroked the girl's hair as they sobbed together. Suddenly Y/n wasn't a strong, dangerous killer but she was a child again, a scared, helpless child just like before. The class apologized to the girl, for not coming to see her, for being scared of her, for everything. 

The pair got up from the ground but Mina kept her arms around her friend's neck as they continued to cry. "So will you be back in class this week?" Kirishima asked placing a soft hand on the girl's shoulder "She will be back in class, but due to her medical conditions she can't participate in any training however" Aizawa warned. 

The class nodded and quietly he picked up the folder knowing that the class was now no longer anxious about their classmate. Without a word, the man left the dorms leaving Y/n in the kind arms of her friends. 

Now Mina and Jirou each had one of Y/n's hands in theirs as they walked her back to her dorm. Everyone was very excited to see their friend back. "We can all have dinner soon! Sorry we didn't have anything prepared" Iida apologized "It's ok maybe next time"

As the girls were heading up the stairs Bakugo held out his arm blocking the girls from leaving. Stopping, the girl looked at him "You" He pointed at Y/n "You still owe me a fight remember?" He questioned "I can't yet... When I'm better. Promise" She was very genuine in her response. Bakugo growled "You better" before he wandered out of the dorms assumably to the gym.

"He really wants to fight you huh" Jirou laughed "I guess so..." Y/n responded. What no one saw was Y/n's wings flicker in excitement at the thought of fighting the blonde. 

"Oh, Y/n do you have any music you like?" "Music?" Y/n tilted her head at Jirou "Yeah! like punk, pop, rock kinda thing?" 

Y/n thought of the few bits of fight music they'd play in the fighting rings. She didn't really like them that much though. "I don't really listen to music... So I don't know" She shrugged "Maybe we can show you some music tonight and see what you like!" Mina exclaimed walking a little faster than before.

The three girls gathered at Y/n's door which she unlocked and they all walked in. The room was dark but still in the same condition she left it in. The covers were bundled like a nest on her bed, nothing on the shelves or desk just a plain room. 

"We need to get you more decorations babes" Mina sweat dropped. "I'll grab my laptop" Jirou called running down the hall. "Do you have cute Pjs?" Mina asked, "Pjs?" "Like something cute you sleep in?" Mina waited patiently as Y/n sifted through her closet. Y/n pulled out the skull T-shirt and boxers Bakugo gave her.

"That's not that cute but it'll do" She shrugged. She lay face down on Y/n's pillows as she waited for the girl to change. By the time she was done, Jirou was back with her computer. Jirou sat on the floor and leaned against the bed while Y/n and Mina sat on her bed, Mina lay on her stomach telling Jirou what music to play.

They tried many songs and Y/n was fine with all of them. Some of Mina's songs were fun and caused her to mimic little dances Mina would do. She'd do big elaborate dances to many of the songs which Jirou and Y/n tried to follow along to.

Y/n was actually very coordinated and good at following Mina's moves but didn't commit to properly doing any dances. After a couple of hours, Mina and Jirou were laughing at jokes while Y/n sat silently listening to her friends enjoy themselves. Hearing the laughter from the hall Sero popped his head.

"What are we doing in here?" He asked, he was dressed in big baggy striped pants and a black tank with his hair pulled back with a headband. "Showing Y/n different music to see what she likes" Jirou explained. 

"Oh give it here" Jirou passed the laptop to the boy and he typed in a song. Placing the laptop on the desk as a rhythmic salsa song started playing. Sero took Mina's hands and they started dancing, Mina didn't fully know how to salsa but she had the right hip movement.

Jirou giggled standing up and looking down at Y/n who sat on the edge of her bed. Jirou lightly took Y/n's hands and moves them sloppily like how Sero was holding Mina's. Y/n stood keeping a close eye on Sero and Mina and tried to do the same.

Jirou yelped as Y/n picked up the pace matching the other couple. Y/n now in the swing of it was looking at Jirou who gave her a sheepish smile. Sero looked over and saw Y/n killing it "Partner swap!" Sero called spinning Mina into Jirou's arms and taking Y/n in his.

With a certain but gentle hand, he placed his palm on her waist helping her sway along to the beat. Holder her other hand he helped them move. Y/n's blank look started to lift slightly as she eased into the dance.

Mina and Jirou watched in amazement and Y/n followed Sero's movement perfectly matching his energy. Sero flashed her a bright smile and in return she looked at him with beautiful dark eyes and smiled ever so slightly. 

A blush spread across the boy's cheeks as he spun her. By the time the song stopped their breathing was heavy from the fast-paced dancing. Though they stopped dancing Y/n's wings were still fluttering with joy.

"Hey! You're really good!" Sero cheered "Thank you... You are a good teacher" She said matter of factly. "How are you so good? did you salsa a lot in the fighting ring?" "No but I'm good at taking instructions" She shrugged.

The semi-sexual subtext in her explanation made Sero blush thinking of what other instructions she could take. Now flustered he started to back out of the room "Whelp I'll leave the music to you ladies... haha..." He laughed before stepping into the hallway.

A long silence drifted through the room waiting for the boy to be out of earshot. Suddenly Mina and Jirou let out a shriek "Y/n! You flirt!" Mina exclaimed, "Flirt?" "Yeah, you totally flirted with Sero then!" "What is flirt?" Y/n questioned. Jirou and Mina looked at each other in amusement "Like when you act cute to a person you like to make them like you!" "Isn't that being nice?" "No no! Like you wanna get with them" Y/n looked extremely confused.

"Have you ever had a crush? or wanted to kiss a guy!" Y/n shook her head "Oh honey" Mina pat the winged girl's hair. "Well, you'd be good at flirting. I'm sure if you had a little more charm all the guys would be falling for you" Mina laughed.

For the rest of the night, the three just talked. They didn't feel the need to press Y/n on anything about her past. All their questions were answered. There wasn't an air of mistrust in the room because Y/n had spilled everything to them.

Though there was a question Mina had to ask, however. "Y/n did you have any friends in the fighting ring?" She asked in a quiet moment between laughs. Y/n took a moment to think, "There weren't many people my age for the last couple of years. If there were I never met them. I had a room to myself so no... You are my only friends" She looked at the girls.

Mina sat at Y/n's desk while Jirou sat on the floor. Jirou placed a kind hand on Y/n's knee giving her eyes that spoke stories of kindness and understanding. Suddenly Mina let out a cry as she launched herself into the girl making them topple into the bed.

"Y/N I LOVE YOU!" She yelled rubbing her face into the girl's neck. "I love you too Mina," Y/n said with her usual plain tone. A gasp ripped through Mina as she looked at her friend with sparkling eyes "YOU LOVE ME TOO AWWW" she exclaimed before going back to cuddling into the girl.

Jirou jumped up and landed on her side beside the two giving Y/n a smile. Jirou held a hand out which Y/n took and they laced their fingers together. It was a sweet moment between three friends who had so much love for each other.

This really was home